On to Kearney! Clayton State edges Georgia College 66-65 in overtime for South Atlantic Regional Championship
Ragin selected Regional Most Valuable Player, Wiles selected All-Tournament for Lakers

MORROW, Ga. – MARCH 12, 2007 – It’s on the Kearney, Neb., and the 2007 NCAA Division II Women’s “Elite Eight” for the Clayton State Lakers.

Playing host to the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Championship game on Monday, Clayton State needed overtime, but it was enough to edge in-state Peach Belt Conference rival Georgia College 66-65 at the Athletics and Fitness Center. 16^th-ranked Clayton State improves to 28-5 overall with its seventh straight victory and ninth in the last 10 games.

The Lakers now prepare for the program’s first ever trip to the Division II “Elite Eight,” which starts next Wednesday (Mar. 21) in Kearney. Clayton State will play South Central Regional champion Texas A&M-Commerce at 7 p.m. EDT.

Playing each other for the fourth time this season, there was nothing much more to hide between the two teams, and both left everything on the court.

After leading 38-38 at halftime, Clayton State led by as much as 12 points early in the second half. Crystal Brown’s 3-point play gave the Lakers a 42-30 lead with 17:40 remaining. However, Georgia College methodically battled its way back, using a 16-4 run to tie the game.

Marquita Driskell nailed four straight free throws, and then a long 3-point basket by Shanice Dawson tied the game at 46-46 at the 10:32 mark.

Clayton State pushed the lead back to seven points, 57-50 on a lay-up off an offensive rebound by Sharon Wiles with 4:35 remaining. But that was the last field goal that the Lakers would convert in regulation play. Georgia College tied the game 58-58 on a driving lay-up by Lindsey Smith with 56 seconds remaining.

The Lady Bobcats had a final opportunity for the game-winner, but Driskell could not convert a lay-up in traffic as time expired.

Clayton State scored the first two baskets in the extra session – a driving lay-up by Nikkisha Pritchett and a turnaround jump shot by Jackson – to lead 62-58 with 2:39 remaining. The closest Georgia College got until the final seconds was a lay-up by Driskell to make the Laker lead 62-60 at the 1:48 mark.

Shantel Ragin paced the Lakers with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals to garner South Atlantic Regional Most Valuable Player honors. Wiles scored 12 points to garner All-Tournament honors, while Brown and Marie St. Fort both scored nine points and Jackson added eight points, six rebounds and five blocked shots for Clayton State.

For Georgia College (22-10), Driskell recorded her third straight double-double of the tournament with 21 points and 15 rebounds. In the Lady Bobcats’ three games, the 6-foot-2 Driskell averaged 28 points and 15 rebounds. Ashley Williams scored 10 points for Georgia College.